Anyone who's taken the steps from the Old City down to the Kosel has noticed the Menorah enclosed in a glass case on the way down- (when I was in seminary it was in the Cardo, but has since been moved). The kids were always so excited to see it, and I would burst their bubble and tell them, not its not really זהב טהור, its just a model. And the real מנורה in the בית המקדש was much bigger too (after all, the כהן גדול had to climb up a set of stairs to reach it, didn't he?)
Well turns out that I was wrong on both accounts. Yes, the מנורה is REAL gold, and it is (at least according to some שיטות), the exact size of the מנורה in the בית המקדש. We learned all this and more, at our visit to the מכון למקדש on חול המועד פסח. We went for a very enlightening tour of the different replicas they've made -בגדי כהונה, שולחן, מזבח הזבב, to mention a few! The kids really enjoyed, especially Yisrael who had just finished learning about the משכן and the בגדי כהונה in פרשת תרומה and פרשת תצוה- he participated nicely when the tour guide asked questions to the group, showing how well he had learned these ענינים.
According to what I learned there, the מנורה was not nearly as tall as you'd imagine- the כהן גדול could easily reach the top without the steps- but he needed the steps so that his sleeve wouldn't slide up as he reached upwards to light it. Once climbing up the steps, he would be able to reach straight in front of him to light the מנורה, therefore keeping his arms properly covered (this example of צניעות in the בית המקדש is much less known than the example of the ramp to the מזבח).
This is just one of the many amazing things we learned during the tour, where we were able to see, touch, and even smell many different things that were in the בית המקדש. The last part of the tour was a model of the בית המקדש, which was much more beautiful (and supposedly much more accurate) than any other I've seen.
After the guided tour, we watched a video presentation depicting what it was like to be עולה רגל and bring the קרבן פסח. It was very entertaining for the kids, and made the concept much more real and concrete. They also had an activity center where each child was able to choose a project to make, related to the בית המקדש, as well as a cute skit about bringing the קרבן פסח.
Once we finished our visit in מכון למקדש, we headed down the stairs towards the כותל, and of course appreciated the model מנורה much more (it belongs to מכון למקדש and they display it there). And while davening מנחה at the כותל, surrounded by thousands of other Yidden all being "עולה רגל", I felt much more כונה when davening that Hashem should give us back the בית המקדש- for only one who truly understands and appreciates how beautiful it really was, can really mourn its absence and daven for its return, במהרה בימנו אמן!
2 comments:
How beautiful! Where is the machon L'Mikdash? and was it presented in Ivrit?
The explanation I've heard as to why the Kohein Gadol could not raise his arm to light the Menorah is that he was not allowed to raise his arm or hand above the level of the Shem HaMeforash which was engraved on the Tziz ("frontlet" which he wore on the mitznefes "turban") on his forehead. That is, most likely, the primary reason.
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